[Exediron]

Just finished building myself a new frame to hold my G25 wheel, pedals and shifter in the basement (wood). I haven't found a good chair yet, but it's still a far cry better than just bolting the thing onto my desk. What really pushed me to build my own frame was the realization that I wasn't actually using the wheel because it was too much of a pain to set up, so I only took it out when I had a whole day to play. I've been eying something like the ECCI setup for a while now, but I'm not going to spend that sort of money until I feel I've mastered the level of equipment I have right now. And after about a year and a half off, I'm pretty rusty. I plan on getting some serious practice in soon, however.

 
In terms of games, mostly GTR2 and Race07 here, but I'm considering getting into online racing now that I have a more reliable setup. Speaking of which, I think it would be cool if we could have some Head-Fi race weekends! If we all have a game with multi-player functionality in common, we should be able to set up our own series, if someone is willing to keep track of the points. Anyone else interested?

 

[oqvist]

Wonder how many there is here. Racedepartment has some fun races that you can just jump into. I don´t quite recall which sims they run now. 
I started my online career in average drivers club in speedgeezers and GTR. I don´t know how active they are but the first on-line race what an experience. I could smell the petrol. I was a total noob had no idea about anything but they did show patience with me. 

 

[Pudu]

How is the CSW treating you? I've heard so much good and bad that it gets confusing. Nice seating angle.

Sorry, been off the forum for a bit.

I had the same concerns about the Fanatec stuff- seems people either love it or have terrible experiences with the company. I decided to gamble since there wasn't much else out there that ticked the right boxes for me. So far I think it's very good. Feels great, right amount of on wheel buttons, on/off switch, quiet, etc. I like being able to tweak the FF on the fly, in game. I haven't put many hours on it thus far though.

I'm still trying to find the best seating angle - tried many variations - this one feels the best for longer stints thus far.

 

[solserenade]

I'm in the market for a seat/cockpit ... or possibly making it home-made (the fact I've put that off for ... 5+ years tells me it may be best to buy one). My current set-up functions ... but is rickety, the chair not quite comfortable, etc.  One hour and my back is shot.
 
If anyone knows of a cockpit they really like ... I'd appreciate any thoughts.
 
Thanks.
 
p.s. I'm at PS2 level, road-racing and Nascar, aiming toward iRacing or similar (I only recently got high-speed Internet)
 
favorite games: TOCA Race Driver, Gran Turismo, several Nascar (probably F1 if I had it) ... that is all!

 

[Exediron]

Speaking of cockpits, has anyone seen one of these in person? I never even knew it existed before I found it by accident on the 'net a few days ago, but now I want one...
 
Also: If anyone here has used both the latest ECCI and the latest FREX setups, could they offer insight on how the two compare to each other?

 

[Draygonn]

What really pushed me to build my own frame was the realization that I wasn't actually using the wheel because it was too much of a pain to set up

That pushed me into a full time setup as well. Spent months debating a wheelstand or rig. My apartment just doesn't have the room so I settled on a large desk.

So far I think it's very good. Feels great, right amount of on wheel buttons, on/off switch, quiet, etc. I like being able to tweak the FF on the fly, in game. I haven't put many hours on it thus far though.

I'm sticking with my G27 but I can see how the belt driven wheels can be smoother. And switching FF with a button would be real nice going from Road to Oval. I use very little FF on Oval, just enough to feel whats going on. I really like Fanatec gear, hopefully their QC gets sorted.

I'm in the market for a seat/cockpit ... or possibly making it home-made (the fact I've put that off for ... 5+ years tells me it may be best to buy one). My current set-up functions ... but is rickety, the chair not quite comfortable, etc.  One hour and my back is shot.

If anyone knows of a cockpit they really like ... I'd appreciate any thoughts.

So many options...

DIY with PVC


DIY with 8020


Obutto R3volution is affordable but requires a lot of setup


Human Racing GT is nice looking, doesn't require assembly, and is hella pricy

Speaking of cockpits, has anyone seen one of these in person? I never even knew it existed before I found it by accident on the 'net a few days ago, but now I want one...

motherofgod.jpg

 

[DefQon]

Nice stuff, I've been into Trackmania and Live for Speed for quite a while now since Alpha build days. But I just don't see it being worthwhile to dedicate a lot of dosh and time into building a proper driving sim station.

 

[Draygonn]

Installed a hydraulic brake pedal. Better control and feel than the stock G27 brake.

 

[Exediron]

I imagine so - seeing as the stock brake (for the G25, at least) basically has no feel.
 
Is that something you made yourself, or did you buy it somewhere?

 

[Pudu]

Installed a hydraulic brake pedal. Better control and feel than the stock G27 brake.

Cool!

Is it a load cell or a hydraulic damper attached to the pot?

 

[Draygonn]

Is it a load cell or a hydraulic damper attached to the pot?

Its a hydraulic cylinder, the white hose attaches to a pressure sensor. I looked into getting a new pedal set like Fanatec CSPs but they would require mounting. I wanted to retain the G27 pedals' carpet gripper and I only really needed a brake (I don't use clutch). After reading a bunch of reviews I decided to go with the perfect pedal and bodnar cable. Installation took about thirty minutes. Needless to say it's night and day from the stock potentiometer.

 

[Pudu]

That looks great. I bet it's quite a difference in pedal response.

Man, I haven't done any simming in a few month now. I should probably do some laps of Shanghai to get ready for this weekend.

 

[Draygonn]

Yes, get in some laps before the race. Your awesome rig deserves more seat time but having a family takes priority. I ran some Shanghai laps in F1 2012 Tuesday. After running ovals the last two weeks my road skills were pretty rusty. iRacing now has a series that follows the NASCAR schedule. Expensive to buy that many tracks but must be a blast for NASCAR fans.

 

[Pudu]

I don't recall whether you tried GSC 2012, but I just today saw there's a Shanghai (and Hungaroring) conversion for that if you are interested.

 

[Draygonn]

I had problems with GSC crashing before starting so I didn't get around to actually trying it. Today I found a workaround for the crashing, loses the minimap but thats ok. I turned a few Shangai laps in each car. It didn't recognize the new pedal so I had to use the clutch pedal for braking